The Little Black Dress has been a wardrobe staple for more than 80 years. Seen as rebellious, demure, sexy and sophisticated,
it is the ultimate fashion statement a woman can buy. As Brighton Museum charts its rise and showcases some of the most
glamorous celebrity gowns to date, Ruth Addicottttakes a sneak peek and finds out what makes the LBD so special
Whether it's a thigh-skimming
sequin shift or a floor-sweeping
velvet gown, nothing makes
an impact like a little black dress.
Since it shot to fame courtesy of Coco
Chanel in 1926, the LBD has remained
as chic and elegant as ever, turning
heads on the red carpets of Hollywood
as well as at Christmas office parties.
Brighton Museum is now paying its
own tribute with a major exhibition
charting the history of the LBD from
the Twenties to modern day.
The display, which opens this week,
features dresses from haute couture
to the high street, including a slinky
Victoria Beckham number designed
by Julien MacDonald, a Jean Muir
dress belonging to Joanna Lumley
and Anouska Hempel Couture gowns
worn by Hollywood stars Melanie
Griffith and Hilary Swank.
Celebrity designers Ben de Lisi,
Giles Deacon and Bruce Oldfield are
featured, along with dresses from local
residents such as TV presenter Zoe
Ball, Simultane designer Sarah Arnett
and drag queen, Dave Lynn.
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While the latter's eye-catching black
and gold beaded number leaves little
to the imagination, visitors will also
get to see some slightly more modest
versions.
One example being an original Ossie
Clark dress owned by Margaret Bishop,
a retired registrar from Hurstpierpoint.
It's a full-length black gown with
a satin trim and tie around the neck
and she bought it from Biba in 1970.
"I was 22 at the time. My then
husband worked for the Borough of
Kensington and Chelsea and we were
going to a rather special party in
London," she recalls. "I was quite shy
back then, I was from the Midlands and
wasn't in the Brighton/London scene
but I wanted to look the part.
"My husband saw it in the shop
window and thought it would suit
me and as soon as I tried it on it felt
fantastic. It was such a fabulous dress.
I felt like a completely different person,
it transported me to another world.
I'm absolutely thrilled it's going to be
in the exhibition."
Margaret believes the key to finding
the ultimate LBD is to find one that's
comfortable.
"One of the things I also loved about
it was you didn't see all the dress
at once," she says. "It was striking
from the front but it was also very
low cut at the back so even when
you turned it around it had that
wow factor."
As it no longer fits and she doesn't
have a daughter to hand it down
to, Margaret did consider selling it
at one stage. But when it came to
handing the dress over, she found she
couldn't part with it.
"I felt elegant, sophisticated,
glamorous and sexy - but in a subtle
way - when I wore it. I think everyone
should have a dress they feel like that
about," she says.
"If a woman finds something she
feels really comfortable in, she can go
anywhere and do anything."
No one knows the draw of the LBD
better than the designers themselves.
Fashion director and curator of
the show Andrew Fionda has been
trawling vintage shops, the internet
and friends' wardrobes for Little Black
Dresses for 20 years, not just as
inspiration for his own designs but
to sell in his vintage shop in
Kemp Town.
"Trends come and go but for
more than 80 years the Little Black
Dress has remained a favourite on the
catwalk, the red carpet - and in many
women's wardrobes. After nearly
a century in the public eye, it is
still symbolically modern and chic, "
he says.
One of its finest qualities, according
to Andrew, is its versatility, enabling
it to be dressed up or dressed down
depending on the occasion.
"It has the power to make women
feel effortlessly elegant. It can be the
safe choice or a rebellious statement,
sexy or demure," he says.
Little Black Dress will be on display
at the Fashion & Style Gallery,
Brighton Museum from now
until June 2008. Free admission.
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